Prince George, BC – A planned power outage will leave more than 400 residents in Hixon and the surrounding area without electricity this morning.

The outage is to allow BC Hydro crews to make electrical system improvements and will run from 8am this morning until noon, affecting a total of 427 customers in Hixon and south to Strathnaver.

BC Hydro spokesperson, Bob Gammer says while the outage will run right up to Dunkley Lumber, the mill and the nearby Pinnacle Pellet plant will not be affected, as they’re serviced by a separate system.

Affected residents are being advised to unplug all electronics – computers, TVs, PVRs, etc. – to protect them from damage in preparation for the service interruption.  In addition, residents are being asked to turn off all major appliances and, for the first hour after power is restored, to only turn on or plug in what they need to prevent the electrical system from being overloaded.